Qalandiya - A Palestinian who fainted receives treatment from a policeman and a soldier
A reasonable day; a man who fainted receive treatment; do we see light at the end of the tunnel? – They say the new section will be opened shortly, easing passage.
05.15. Dark and cold. For the past few weeks we have seen on the Israel side groups sitting around fires, warming themselves.
Five checking stations were open, and the queues reached just outside the shed.
The soldier in the aquarium let in many people through at each opening of the turnstiles, and checking inside seemed to be fairly quick. Perhaps things are speeded up by the renewal of the ‘slalom’ of fencing from the cages to the checking stations. Our friend H. who in Mahane Yehuda tells us that the market is very busy during Hanukkah. In general, people tell us that conditions have been reasonable at the machsom in recent days.
A policeman arrived and joined the soldier in the aquarium. Towards six o’clock the soldier prepares himself for being replaced, the policeman is outside the aquarium in the protected sterile area. Suddenly people call out to him. A man has fainted in the queue waiting at station no.5, and his friends are calling for help. The policeman immediately opens the gate, goes to the man and calls to the soldier to join him. They began to tend to the man and summoned help. Soon a woman medic. arrived together with a guard. Meanwhile admittance of people from the cages stopped, and everyone waited patiently, including those at the humanitarian gate. While the man was still getting care, a woman officer and soldier came to relieve the soldier of the aquarium. They proceeded to work the turnstiles. The crowd around the fainted man also dispersed, leaving him with a few friends. He soon recovered and got to his feet. The medic. and guard accompanied him out via the checking station, and returned. A D.C.O. soldier arrived to open the humanitarian gate.
The line at the humanitarian gate quickly ended and the regular lines also began to be short. We went outside for tea and when we returned we spoke to the policeman and the D.C.O. soldier, and heard from them that the new section is to be opened on 15.12. They said that they had meanwhile tested the new system and it all works. The new system is to be fully computerized and automatic (similar to those at Na’alin and some other places), and it is expected to allow for 9,000 people to pass in two hours.
At one stage the officer and soldier and they all, apart from the D.C.O. soldier, entered the aquarium. Perhaps they are discussing the fainting event, since everyone involved was inside. We, at any rate, were pleased to see the full and quick response to help the man. (In the past, when there was a queue collapse, a man fainted at checkpoint no.1. We were the ones who had to draw the attention of our forces, and there was no response from them. They left the Palestinians to look after the man themselves. He, fortunately, recovered.)
At about 7 o’clock we joined one of the short lines, passing within 30 minutes.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
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Click here to watch a video from Qalandiya checkpoint up to mid 2019 Three kilometers south of Ramallah, in the heart of Palestinian population. Integrates into "Jerusalem Envelope" as part of Wall that separates between northern suburbs that were annexed to Jerusalem in 1967: Kafr Aqab, Semiramis and Qalandiya, and the villages of Ar-Ram and Bir Nabala, also north of Jerusalem, and the city itself. Some residents of Kafr Aqab, Semiramis and Qalandiya have Jerusalem ID cards. A terminal operated by Israel Police has functioned since early 2006. As of August 2006, northbound pedestrians are not checked. Southbound Palestinians must carry Jerusalem IDs; holders of Palestinian Authority IDs cannot pass without special permits. Vehicular traffic from Ramallah to other West Bank areas runs to the north of Qalandiya. In February 2019, the new facility of the checkpoint was inaugurated aiming to make it like a "border crossing". The bars and barbed wire fences were replaced with walls of perforated metal panels. The check is now performed at multiple stations for face recognition and the transfer of an e-card. The rate of passage has improved and its density has generally decreased, but lack of manpower and malfunctions cause periods of stress. The development and paving of the roads has not yet been completed, the traffic of cars and pedestrians is dangerous, and t the entire vicinity of the checkpoint is filthy. In 2020 a huge pedestrian bridge was built over the vehicle crossing with severe mobility restrictions (steep stairs, long and winding route). The pedestrian access from public transport to the checkpoint from the north (Ramallah direction) is unclear, and there have been cases of people, especially people with disabilities, who accidentally reached the vehicle crossing and were shot by the soldiers at the checkpoint. In the summer of 2021, work began on a new, sunken entrance road from Qalandiya that will lead directly to Road 443 towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. At the same time, the runways of the old Atarot airport were demolished and infrastructure was prepared for a large bus terminal. (updated October 2021)
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